Ukraine’s Top Adviser Defends President’s Behavior at White House Meeting
Ukraine will not apologize for the exchange of blows between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at the White House, said Mikhail Podoljak, a top adviser to the Ukrainian president. He defended Zelenskyy’s behavior during the meeting and stated that the US should understand the need to exert maximum pressure on Russia.
During the tense meeting in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy expressed doubts about the possibility of diplomacy with Russia and told Trump and his Vice President, J.D. Vance, that the US would “feel the impact” of negotiations with Russia. Trump accused Zelenskyy of disrespect, ingratitude for previous US aid and reluctance to make peace with Russia, which he described as “playing with the Third World War.”
After the dispute, Zelenskyy thanked the US again for its military aid and stated that Ukraine is ready to sit at the negotiating table. Without apologizing, the Ukrainian president acknowledged that the meeting with Trump did not go as planned, saying it was “regrettable that this happened.” He urged the US to continue its diplomatic engagement.
In an interview with the French magazine Le Point, Podoljak defended his president and emphasized that Zelenskyy “was absolutely right in form and content, as he tried to convey the core idea to our US partners: without pressure on Russia, nothing will happen.”
“Without pressure on Russia, there can be no peace talks. Our president tirelessly explains to our partners what this war is and who provoked it. [..] We will not apologize for a supposed mistake that did not occur” said the former head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration.
Podoljak also rejected the claim that Trump and Vance had “humiliated” Zelenskyy, describing the exchange as a “very emotional discussion” that could help to eliminate the differences between Kiev and Washington.
Following the dispute between Trump and Zelenskyy, the US paused its military aid and intelligence information exchange with Ukraine, with US representatives stating that the pause would remain in place until Kiev agrees to peace talks.